Loss of controllability in appetitive situations interferes with subsequent learning in aversive situations

Abstract

In two experiments, we examined whether or not a loss of control over food availability would interfere with subsequent two-way shuttle-escape learning. Rats that had experienced loss of control over food delivery were impaired in their acquisition of a shuttle-escape response, relative to the response-contingent and the continuous-reinforcement control rats (in Experiments 1 and 2) and to the lack-of-control and home cage control rats (in Experiment 2). Rats that had received noncontingent food delivery without a prior history of control over food exhibited poorer performance than did the home cage control rats. Moreover, loss of control resulted in a larger interference effect than did lack of control, supporting the view that the learning of response-outcome noncontingency is the main determinant of the interference effect.

The effects of predictability and controllability in appetitive situation upon subsequent disk-pull escape learning in rats

“…This phenomenon has been termed the learned helplessness effect; it has been hypothesized that learning about noncontingency between response and outcome produces the learning of uncontrollability, and results in deleterious effects (Maier & Seligman, 1976;Seligman, 1975). Some experiments found that the learning of uncontrollability in an appetitive situation interferes with subsequent learning in aversive or appetitive situation (Caspy & Lubow, 1981;Goodkin, 1976;Job, 1987Job, , 1988Job, , 1989Sonoda, Hirai, & Okayasu, 1992;Sonoda, Okayasu, & Hirai, 1991). These findings are formally similar to effects seen in experiments with pretreatment of uncontrollability over shock.…”

Aprendizagem de fuga após estímulos apetitivos incontroláveis

“…Eles confi rmam alguns estudos anteriores que não obtiveram desamparo em função da exposição prévia a estímulos apetitivos incontroláveis (Beaty & Maki, 1979;Calef & cols., 1984;Caspy & Lubow, 1981;Sonoda, Takahiro & Hirai, 1991) mas contradizem outros que relataram difi culdade de aprendizagem negativamente reforçada (Caspy, Formmer, Weiner & Lubow, 1979;Goodkin, 1976;Sonoda & Hirai, 1992). Esse confl ito de resultados aparentemente decorre de algumas diferenças de procedimento que difi cultam identifi car que variáveis podem ser as responsáveis Na sessão de teste, os sujeitos dos três grupos aprenderam a resposta de fuga.…”

Effects of loss of control over food acquisition on subsequent disk-pull escape learning

“…The Skinner boxes employed in CRF training and pretreatment were the same as those used in Sonoda et al (1991). The Skinner boxes consisted of a chamber with clear Plexiglas sidewalls and ceiling, stainless steel front and rear walls, and a floor of stainless steel rods (1.6cm center to center).…”

“…The lack-of-control rats showed only minor interference effects. Although Sonoda et al (1991) previously demonstrated this effect by using running responses as a test task, the present study examined its effect with a different response-diskpulling behavior. The present study also used a more sophisticated design in terms of: (a) making the acquisition of controllability on the CRF session equivalent among groups, by adding shaping before the CRF training phase, and (b) having FR 2 escape preceded by FR 1 escape during the test phase.…”

“…Recently, Sonoda, Okayasu, and Hirai (1991), using a yoked design, found that the experience of loss of control over food acquisition interferes with subsequent fixed ratio (FR) 2 shuttle escape learning. They also found that the loss-ofcontrol rats showed a larger interference effect than did the lack-of-control rats, which received noncontingent food delivery without a prior history of control.…”